Our Innovation Sharing Challenge

To foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation, Elia launched an Innovation Sharing Challenge for employees. Three winning projects were selected from amongst the 10 finalists.

The challenge

At Assets (Elia’s operational services), we are working on a culture of continuous improvement. Sometimes, a small initiative is enough to improve everyone’s everyday work in the field in terms of safety, quality and/or efficiency. Such initiatives are definitely present at Elia, for instance the many ‘improvement initiatives’ deployed in recent years. In 2016, an Innovation Sharing Challenge was organised to focus more on these ideas and to share innovative accomplishments across the entire company. Ten finalists were chosen from all the submissions, and ultimately three winners were selected.

The winning projects: TP Life Saver

TP Life Saver is a device used to test the voltage of a transformer from a distance to ensure the safety of operators when transformers are commissioned.

This system analyses the voltage measured by the high-voltage equipment during the initial commissioning of a high-voltage instrument transformer. If there is a problem, a switch-off signal is sent to the circuit breaker of the relevant bay. As a result, this system ensures safety for people, who can remain at a safe distance, while also protecting equipment by taking it offline in a timely fashion

The winning projects: SPACSI

SPACSI is a fully equipped test and training protection cabinet that enables employees to safely test and develop their know-how.

Knowledge is one of the basic elements in safety, which means it is important to be able to acquire knowledge in a practical and safe environment. SPACSI is a fully featured safety cabinet that can be used for training outside a high-voltage substation. This safety cabinet is fully equipped with protective gear, bay computer and the appropriate signalling gear making it possible to simulate the various statuses of the high-voltage equipment.

The winning projects: Mobile building site cabinet

The mobile building site cabinet is a device that can be used to safely provide an on-site electricity supply for low-voltage IT grids. Insulation faults can be safely, easily and automatically detected and remedied.

This cabinet can be used to secure an on-site supply for a low-voltage IT grid. If an insulation fault materialises in contractor circuits, a circuit breaker in the site box ensures that the site supply is taken offline and can only be brought back online once the fault has been remedied. This also ensures that the duty officer does not have to proceed to the site every time there is an insulation fault in a mobile supply.